It is generally concluded from species-specific life spans that life span is under some form of genetic control. The exact nature of this control, however, remains unclear. We propose to investigate the genetic control of life span by selecting and characterizing mutants that exhibit increased life spans. This will be accomplised by: 1) a general selection technique for mutants with increased life span and 2) by selecting mutants which demonstrate changes in the accumulation of lipofuscin pigment. Additionally we plan to initiate biochemical analyses of aging in C. elegans to further aid in our understanding of the mechanisms involved in aging.